Mapping global post-earthquake ecosystem damage boundaries

Earthquakes are one of the most destructive natural hazards, causing extensive damage to ecosystems. However, beyond physical landslides, the delineation of ecosystem damage boundaries remains lacking. To address this, we developed a fully automated framework for mapping global Post-earthquake Ecosystem Damage Boundaries (PEDBs). We analyzed 284 earthquakes (M ≥ 6.0) across the globe from 2002 to 2022 to detect abrupt surface changes by using Landsat data and the continuous change detection and classification algorithm on Google Earth Engine. Then, a novel method combining kernel density estimation, Otsu adaptive threshold and morphological operations was developed to extract the PEDBs. Results show that the total area of damage pixels was 7734.83 km², while the PEDB coverage reached 16,334.96 km². The mid-low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (15°N-20°N and 30°N-40°N) accounted for 47.83% of the total PEDB area. The damage area peaked in 2003, 2010, and 2018. Specific ecosystems, particularly mixed forests and deciduous needleleaf forests, showed high susceptibility to degradation, primarily transitioning to woody savannas. This study produces the first global PEDB dataset, offering a foundational tool for quantifying seismic impacts and assessing ecosystem resilience.